Bishop Martin CE Primary Reading Newsletter

Welcome to Bishop Martin’s very first reading newsletter, designed to give recommendations for new books, helpful reading strategies to try at home and news about upcoming events. Author Spotlight Library Opening Hours Phillip Pullman Allerton Childwall The Lord of Dust, creator of daemons and spinner of the Monday 10.00-18.00 10.00-18.00 Tuesday 10.00-18.00 10.00-18.00 finest fairy tales, Philip Pullman is one of the world’s Wednesday 10.00-18.00 10.00-18.00 greatest and most influential storytellers. Thursday CLOSED 10.00-17.00 Friday 10.00-18.00 10.00-17.00 His wide-ranging body of work encompasses books for Saturday 10.00-16.00 CLOSED Sunday CLOSED CLOSED both adults and children, but he is best-known for the unparalleled achievement that is His Dark Materials and Book shops in our the long awaited The Book of Dust. The winner of the local area Waterstones Book of the Year 2017, the first volume in WH Smiths – Speke Retail the series, La Belle Sauvage, this year continued in The (9.00-20.00 Mon-Fri, Secret Commonwealth, published in October 2019. 9.00-18.00 Sat, 11.00-17.00 Sun) He has won numerous awards for his children’s books, Waterstones – Liverpool One including the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's (9.00-20.00 Mon-Fri, Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Astrid Lindgren 9.00-19.00 Sat, Memorial Award, the Whitbread Book of the Year Award 11.00-17.00 Sun) and a CBE. WH Smiths – Allerton Road (8.30-17.30 Mon-Sat, 11.00-17.00 Sun) His other acclaimed works include Clockwork, Grimm News from Nowhere – Bold Street Tales: For Young and Old, I Was A Rat, The Firework (10.00-17.45 Mon-Sat, Maker’s Daughter and graphic novel The Adventures of 11.00-17.00 Sun) John Blake. Adults: Have you tried…? Echo Reading is a reading strategy that will help your struggling, or reluctant, reader with fluency, reading orally, new vocabulary, and comprehension. Echo Reading encourages children to begin to understand that what is written on the page matches the words that are produced orally. Most of all, children love the reading interaction and so will you, because you read “with” your child not “to” your child.

How Echo Reading Works To start, select a prized book with short sentences – usually one sentence per page. Read a phrase and then ask the child to repeat what was read. Echo reading can also be used with older children to help them learn a book quickly and gain confidence in their ability to eventually read the story alone.

Why Echo Reading Helps Reluctant Readers This easy-to-use reading strategy can help your reluctant reader learn about fluency, expression, and vocabulary. You will model skills to become a successful reader by using voice inflection, appropriate rate of reading, and by paying attention to punctuation marks while reading. Echo reading also helps children to recognise new words and read at a pace that is better for reading comprehension. If your child reads too slow or too fast, they will most likely have trouble comprehending what they are reading. Once your child has mastered echo reading, let them lead by reading the sentence first. You can then follow with the echo.

Fiction: What’s New… Paddington’s Post by Michael Bond (3+ years) Based on the original stories by Michael Bond, a new Paddington adventure with real mail to open and enjoy! This funny, interactive picture book explores Paddington’s new life in London after travelling all the way from Darkest Peru and meeting Mr and Mrs Brown at Paddington station. Open the six envelopes inside and find out all about his new home, family and friends. These include Paddington’s first letter to his Aunt Lucy, a half-price voucher for his favourite buns, a very special birthday card – and more! The Snow Dragon by Abi Elphinstone (6+ years) You can be late for many things in life, but you should never keep an adventure waiting...In Griselda Bone's gloomy orphanage, daydreaming is banned, skipping is forbidden and Christmas is well and truly cancelled. But for Phoebe and her sausage dog Herb, is it possible that, just when things seem at their bleakest, magic awaits in the swirling, snow-filled air? Join them on an enchanting adventure in this beautifully moving story by the bestselling author of Sky Song and The Unmapped Chronicles, Abi Elphinstone, and renowned illustrator Fiona Woodcock. The Boy Who Made The World Disappear by Ben Miller (8+ years) Following the breakout success of his instant festive classic, The Night I Met Father Christmas, get ready for the brilliant new novel from comedian, actor and bestselling author, Ben Miller! Harrison tries his best to be good. He doesn't steal, he always shares with his sister and he never cheats at board games, but Harrison also has a BIG flaw ... He can't control his temper! So, when he's given a black hole instead of a balloon at a party, Harrison jumps at the chance to get rid of everything that makes him cross. But when it's not just things he hates that are disappearing into the black hole but things he loves, too, Harrison starts to realise that sometimes you should be careful what you wish for... The Impossible Boy by Ben Brooks (9-11 years) When Oleg and Emma invent a new classmate called Sebastian, they are amazed when he appears - very much real - in their secret den. Sebastian isn't like the rest of their classmates. He's never eaten pizza, he's not sure what goose bumps are, and he has a satchel that seems to hold an endless supply of hot ice cream. But as the trio begin their adventures, more impossible things keep happening, from a runaway goat appearing at school to a sighting of some snowwomen walking down the road. Things soon take a turn for the dangerous when the three friends are pursued by the mysterious Institute of Unreality, who want to capture and erase Sebastian, restoring order to the world. With the help of a cowboy gardener, an imprisoned scientist, and the rest of their class, can Emma and Oleg protect their new friend and keep the magic of the impossible alive, just in time for Christmas? The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (9-14 years) A thrillingly reimagined fairytale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell, now available as a gorgeous paperback enhanced with gloriously vibrant red ink highlights. Weaving together hints of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty with a shimmering thread of dark magic, it will hold readers spellbound from start to finish. On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and ventures into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future - and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents. Non-Fiction In our Geography topics this half-term, we have been considering the many different ways in which our world is changing… When faced with climate change, the biggest threat that our planet has ever confronted, it's easy to feel as if nothing you do can really make a difference…but this book proves that individual people can change the world.

With twenty inspirational stories celebrating the pioneering work of a selection of Earth Heroes from all around the globe, from Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough to Yin Yuzhen and Isatou Ceesay, each tale is a beacon of hope in the fight for the future of our planet, proving that one person, no matter how small, can make a difference. Earth Heroes: Twenty Inspirational Stories of People Saving Our World by Lily Dyu

Explore the world with this lavish, Set your spirit of adventure free with this sumptuously illustrated book of maps. journey to the world's great oceans, This collection of 52 highly illustrated discovering the diversity of life that exists maps details not only geographical in the deep blue sea. Whether you're features and political borders, but also travelling long haul with leatherback places of interest, iconic personalities, turtles across the Pacific, snoozing with native animals and plants, local sea otters or ice bathing with a walrus, this book peoples, cultural events, and many celebrates the very prescient topic of the world's oceans more fascinating facts associated with each region. with Lucy Letherland's animal characters. This gorgeous, giant map book is a celebration of the A natural history lesson in an adventure book, each world, from its immense mountains to its tiny insects - and spread features 10 captions and facts about every everything in between! A book to treasure. destination. Maps by Alexsandra and Daniel Mizielinski Atlas of Ocean Adventures by Emily Hawkins

Children: Have you read…? Charles, Year 2 – The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis What are YOU reading?

“This is a great book about a brilliant battle in Narnia. There are lots of different, interesting types Have you read a book you’d of characters and a very good story which is so exciting!” love to recommend in the Carys, Year 4 – Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renee Russell newsletter? Write a recommendation “I love the mixture of writing and pictures and it shows you what a high school experience can be with the title, author, your like. The characters are Nikki, the owner of the diary, and her BFFs Chloe and Zoe, her friend name and a reason why Andre and her secret crush Brandon. They’re funny and they’ve always got Nikki’s side no matter what.” you’d recommend it, to be in with a chance of it being Ernie, Year 6 – Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard featured in our next newsletter in the spring! “I think this is an excellent mystery book all about a boy whose father has disappeared and to Please place your make things even stranger it is related to beetles! I like the way the beetles take the boy on a trip using vibrations in their wings to different parts of the country so that he can find his father. It is recommendation into our the first novel in a series of three which means you can get lost in them all.” ‘Recommended Reads’ box in the school library. Miss Colfar – Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild “The story is centered around three orphaned girls in the 1930s who’s love of dancing and performing helps them in hard times. I remember reading this book when I was in primary school, at the time I did a lot of dancing and drama and I instantly felt a connection to these characters and their story. I’m sure you’ll love it!” Poetry Following from our Have you tried…? recent visit from local author and poet Paul A Poem For Every Night of Delaney, why not try the Year is a magnificent collection of 366 poems reading… compiled by Allie Esiri, one to share for every night of the Get Lost year. The poems – together with introductory paragraphs To find out more, you may – have a link to the date on wish to visit which they appear. https://www.pdelaney.co.uk. Shakespeare celebrates midsummer night, Maya Angelou International Women's Day and Lewis Carroll April Fool's day.

Important Dates, Events & Competitions December Saturday 28th The Snowman with Liver Orchestra at Liverpool Cathedral December (17.00-18.00 or 19.30-21.00) Tuesday 10th – Peter Pan at the Liverpool Empire Theatre Saturday 29th December January Saturday 4th January Grandpa’s Great Escape Live at M&S Bank Arena The first ever stage adaptation of Grandpa’s Great Escape, the exhilarating number one bestselling children’s book by actor and comedian David Walliams, is to tour UK arenas this Christmas. The live version of the kids’ favourite, which has sold over two million copies around the world, can be enjoyed for all to see on stage on a massive scale. Opening January 2020 BBC 500 Words creative writing competition for kids, in association with Oxford University Press. More information here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4n1HgL2GFCWDmCtq9Sx5kKB/500-words-2020. Friday 17th January Bishop Martin Reading Morning – All parents/families are welcome to come in and share some of the fantastic reading activities that we use in school to encourage children’s reading for pleasure. More information to follow. March Thursday 5th March World Book Day – details to follow; more information can be found here: https://www.worldbookday.com Looking ahead… Wednesday 27th – Billionaire Boy at the M&S Bank Arena Sunday 31st May 2020 From the award-winning West End producers of Gangsta Granny and Horrible Histories comes this amazing new production of David Walliams' best-selling story! Joe Spud is twelve years old and the richest boy in the country! He has his own sports car, two crocodiles as pets and £100,000 a week pocket money! But what Joe doesn't have is a friend. So he decides to leave his posh school and start at the local comp. But things don't go as planned for Joe and life becomes a rollercoaster as he tries to find what money can't buy!